a. Field of Invention
The invention relates generally to a label and a manufacturing method thereof, and, more particularly to a label and booklet combination in which the label and the booklet may be releasably affixed to a product, and a manufacturing method thereof.
b. Description of Related Art
Flexographic printing of multi-page booklet or leaflet labels affixed to a carrier web is well known in the industry. The web or roll of finished booklet labels can be automatically applied by a machine to numerous products or product packaging. The printed material may include recipes, instructions, warnings, mail-in promotions and the like. After application thereof, the booklet can be conveniently removed from the product or package by a consumer without defacing the surface thereof or leaving the underlying surface obscured.
Flexographic printing of an Instantly Redeemable Coupon (IRC), which can also be machine applied to a product or product packaging for convenient removal by a cashier at the checkout counter, is also well known in the industry.
The current industry however lacks combination labels, which include an IRC on top of a booklet or leaflet label. Regardless of how IRCs, booklets or leaflet labels are printed and manufactured, the application of an IRC to a booklet or leaflet label has presented obstacles in the industry thus far.
As an alternative to being placed on top of a booklet or leaflet label, an IRC may be included inside a leaflet label. However, use of such an IRC would necessitate opening the leaflet at the checkout counter by a cashier, thus risking damage, removal or loss of the booklet or leaflet label. This would also defeat the advertiser's purpose if the leaflet becomes damaged or lost, and further create an inconvenience for the cashier and the consumer.
For the alternative of placing an IRC inside a leaflet label discussed above, mail-in coupons, future purchase redemption coupons and sweepstake entry blanks placed inside a booklet or leaflet label are common and are somewhat effective at promoting a particular product or brand. However, these alternatives do not carry the impact of “point of purchase” consumer gratification and brand loyalty associated with an IRC.
It is apparent that an IRC and a booklet label can be manually affixed to a product or package. This approach however takes up additional space on the product or package, and significantly increases the time required for manufacturing the end-product.
Specifically, in the “manual application” scheme discussed above, the IRCs and booklet labels must be produced on different presses or a single press must be reconfigured for the separate production thereof. Producing separate IRCs and booklet labels also requires additional materials because each label must have its own carrier web and release mechanism. Separate IRCs and booklet labels on separate rolls also add bulk and weight, thereby increasing packing and shipping costs. Lastly, using separate IRCs and booklet labels requires separate application to the product or package, thereby necessitating two applying stations and two applications on a user's production line.